The Baltic ferry Estonia had 989 people on board when it set sail from the Estonian capital, Tallinn, bound for Stockholm on the evening of 27 September 1994. In the early hours the next day, seaman Silva Linde, standing near the bow door of the car deck on routine watch, was struggling to keep his feet in the stormy seas. Then he heard a loud bang, which seemed to come from the port side. He reported the noise to the bridge but, hearing no other sounds, he continued on his rounds.
Shortly afterwards, as he stood by the information kiosk, the ship started rolling violently. All the money from the kiosk, which provided change for the casino, fell to the floor. Linde hurried towards the foredeck, where he found passengers running up the stairs. There was water on the car deck, they were shouting.
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